


he steps into the remaining light

by trainerlyra



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Canon Compliant, Dimileth Week (Fire Emblem), Drabble Sequence, F/M, Female My Unit | Byleth, Fluff and Angst, Marriage Proposal, Romance, kind of lol, no beta we die like Glenn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:15:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27019408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trainerlyra/pseuds/trainerlyra
Summary: It was hard not to fall in love with someone when they looked at you like that, Dimitri conceded.For Dimileth Week Day 4:my beloved!
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 8
Kudos: 107





	he steps into the remaining light

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Dimileth week! I can't wait to read all of the wonderful things y'all have written for them :) Dimileth is still absolutely my favorite ship in Three Houses, and I had to do at least a little something for them. They hold a very special place in my heart! I wrote this in one sitting after trying for weeks to figure out what to do for any of the prompts, lol, so sorry if it's a little bit all over the place. I hopefully will have one more thing for the week later, fingers crossed! In the meantime, I hope y'all enjoy this!

It was hard not to fall in love with someone when they looked at you like that, Dimitri conceded. The smile Byleth had on her face was positively radiant, and he wasn't even sure she realized. However, it was gone before he really even had a chance to take it in. Dimitri instantly found he missed it.

"Hey, Professor, can you make that expression one more time?" He said, the words tumbling out of his lips before he had the chance to stop them.

Byleth cocked her head to the side, before her lips moved upwards and the look was back. _Beautiful_ was the first thing that came to his mind. He couldn't look away. "Like this?" She asked, her smile growing wider.

It was rare to see the Professor be expressive like that. Usually, Byleth Eisner was the kind of person who schooled their features, whether intentionally or by accident Dimitri wasn't sure. There were certain ticks she had, certain tells that he, and the rest of the Blue Lions, had quickly picked up on and learned to read. When she was happy, for example, usually one corner of her lip would curve up and her eyes would grow a little softer. Or when she was aggravated, her eyebrows would knit together just the slightest bit.

But this was none of that. This was a wide, genuine smile; the full force beaming right at Dimitri. It was almost blinding, if he were honest - that level of happiness wasn't meant for someone like him.

Even still, he soaked it up. "I don't think I've ever seen your face like that," he said, honestly surprised he was even able to talk. Before she could say anything, he quickly kept speaking. "I apologize," he said, laughing a little. "I've forgotten myself and come dangerously close to teasing you. It's just…" Dimitri trailed off, hesitating a bit before continuing. "I've never seen you look so happy before. It's downright mesmerizing."

Often times Dimitri would find himself alone with the Professor. It would be difficult not to, considering he was the head of the Blue Lions, and she had chosen to teach their class. Lately, though, he was beginning to realize just how dangerous of a place that put him in. He'd long since accepted the fact that he found Byleth beautiful - he'd be a fool not to - but the rest of his thoughts and feelings had been locked deep, deep within his heart.

When she looked at him like that, those feelings pushed and pushed until the threatened to tumble out all at once. He knew it would never, could never, happen. The happy lives that others may obtain, the bliss of finding love and marrying and enjoying the wonders of life… it was something that wasn't possible for him.

His heart already belonged to the dead.

* * *

Byleth had a way of coaxing people into talking.

Dimitri had seen it a thousand times, with the various students she'd ended up recruiting to join their house. So many people had made their way into the Blue Lions, all citing the Professor as their major reason for joining. And even with the original members, too. He'd seen her lecturing Sylvain, tutoring Annette, practicing with Felix… for someone who had claimed at the beginning of the year to not be great with people, Byleth was doing a fantastic job of proving otherwise.

Like right now. He'd just spent ten minutes monologuing his childhood with Edelgard to her, and he wasn't even sure _why_. She had made a joke about him dancing with the head of the Black Eagles, and suddenly, he was a kid again, trying hard not to step on her feet.

And now they were on top of the Goddess Tower, and he was running his mouth again and making promises he really, _really_ shouldn't be making. He couldn't promise they'd always be together - he wasn't even sure why he'd _said_ that. It was foolish and almost cruel of him, Dimitri knew. The more he tried to backpedal, the more Byleth frowned, as if she could see through his façade.

He always felt like that with her.

While Dedue knew him best at this point in his life, while Sylvain, Felix, and Ingrid had known him the longest, somehow, he felt like Byleth could always see right down to his core. Like even though she was still learning him, she was never surprised. She only ever understood. Sometimes, it was hard to be alone with her for that reason.

For many reasons, honestly. Dimitri's feelings for the Professor were no longer bordering on _subtle,_ and even Sylvain had picked up on them. He did his best to swallow them back, but when she looked at him like she could get it, like she could change things…

Dimitri sighed, watching her walk back into the monastery. He couldn't give her what she deserved. He couldn't give it to anyone, much as his heart longed for it. In the back of his mind, the swarms of voices grew louder, reminding him of exactly why he couldn't, shouldn't, wouldn't.

Late at night, when his nightmares took over, sometimes, very briefly, Dimitri wondered what it was like to dream instead. If he would see her face there, looking at him with those wide eyes and gentle expressions, like she held all the secrets of the universe, if only he would let her tell them.

* * *

Dimitri was no stranger to loss. It had followed him around like a shadow for many years now. Seeing it on someone else's face, however, was very, very different.

He hadn't been expecting that.

Byleth, usually so strong and steadfast in her convictions, looked much like the ghosts that haunted him. She was barely breathing, barely existing, and the Blue Lions had refused to even let her into the classroom when she'd shown up that morning. Maybe they were denying her charity; letting her pretend that nothing was different and falling back into the motions she was used to. But none of them, in good conscious, could allow her to even begin to try teaching when she looked just as dead as -

Well. Dimitri shifted his weight as he stared at her, unsure of where to even begin. Would anything he had to say even be worth listening to? He wasn't sure, but he couldn't not at least _try_.

Two days later, he once again found her in her late father's chambers, hovering silently. When he opened his mouth, however, nothing came out. Byleth barely even blinked at him. The air around them was heavy, and Byleth looked like she hadn't slept since…

"I suppose it's too early to try and coax you back into the normal swing of things," he finally settled on, not even trying to hide the fact that he had no intention of doing such a thing. "As for what happened to Jeralt," Dimitri took a deep breathe before continuing, looking around the room as he spoke, "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry I couldn't do anything to stop it."

The Knight was yet another ghost that would haunt him, even if not as opaque as the others.

Byleth didn't make a sound. The only reason Dimitri knew she was listening at all was the fact that she gave him a tiny shrug. He knew she didn't blame him - she likely didn't have it in her. But that doesn't mean he couldn't blame himself.

"Stay here until you've found some peace," he told her, unable to look her in the eyes. "I'll cover for you with Lady Rhea and everyone else." It was the least he could do for her, after everything.

That finally got a reaction out of her. "Thank you," she said, voice scratchy and hoarse as if she hadn't spoken in days. Dimitri realized with a start she likely hadn't.

What little was left of his heart broke a bit in his chest for her. "We'll be waiting for you whenever you're ready to return to us." It wasn't just him, he knew. Every single member of the Blue Lions, and even the other houses, all gave their sympathies to the professor. It wasn't much, but it was something. He hoped it would help, if even just the slightest amount.

They lapsed into silence for a moment, and Dimitri took a moment to really look at her. Her eyes were bloodshot and the bags under her eyes that always seemed to be present had grown to be a darker color than the purple of her eyes. Even the way she carried herself, which was usually so confident and careful, was lifeless.

He couldn't just leave with having just said that, he realized. "I don't believe it's a sign of strength just to keep moving forward no matter what," he started, letting himself speak from a place he didn't allow himself to tread often. "Taking the time to grieve for those we've lost, there's strength in that too. That's what I think, anyway."

Byleth made a small noise of recognition, and that was all he needed to keep talking. If it helped her, that was worth it. "That said, it's also important to remember that no matter how sad you are, eventually your tears will dry up." Byleth turned slightly to face him as he spoke, and Dimitri tried to give her an encouraging look. "That's when you have to figure out what it is you're living for," he continued, thinking back to that horrid, fateful day. "Then you can cling to that, with all your might, and start moving forward again."

"What I'm living for?" Byleth asked, voice catching a little. It wasn't until then that Dimitri realized how small she truly was. Despite her short stature, she'd never come across that way - until now.

Dimitri nodded. "Four years ago, in Duscur, I experienced the same pain you're feeling now. My father… was the strongest man I knew. Someone I loved and admired deeply. That day, he was killed before my eyes. His head severed clean off." He was deadly calm as he recounted the events, from years of reliving it every single night. "My stepmother, the kindest person I had ever known, left me behind and disappeared into the infernal flames. Everyone who I considered precious, my family and my closest friends, I couldn't save any of them. Not a single one."

They both went quiet for another moment, as he let Byleth soak in the information. He knew she had to have at least sort of known what had happened, but this was still fairly fresh for her. But hopefully, at least, she would understand that he knew how she felt. At least somewhat.

The feelings he tried hard to bury under him threatened to bubble up and spill out of his throat when he looked at her like this. Instead, he continued talking, hoping to at least pacify it. "Now, the burden of the work they left behind falls on me. I must ensure they have no regrets. That's my duty, as the sole survivor of the tragedy. It's a heavy burden, but accepting it gave me the strength to pick myself up off the ground and start moving again. Start living again." This was a bit of a white lie, but it was what he wanted so desperately to see Byleth do. She didn't need to be tormented as he was. "Jeralt is gone. So, what will you do now, Professor? What must you do? Look in your heart and I'm certain you'll find the answer there… indelible and inescapable."

For the first time since he'd watched her cradle her father's corpse, Dimitri saw a spark in Byleth's eyes. The first sign of life in days.

And for the first time in days, he himself smiled. She would be okay, he knew. And he would stand by her side to make sure of it. He could manage a detour - if it could even be called that, considering how positive he was that the incidents were connected.

For her, Dimitri knew, he would go to the ends of the earth.

* * *

Five years and a lot of heartbreak later, some of those dams were finally breaking. Dimitri cried in the rain, holding on for dear life to the hand she had outstretched to him. As always, Byleth was a salvation that he did not deserve - a kindness he shouldn't know.

As he cried, she smiled; the gentle smile that had been plaguing his nightmares for the years that he thought her dead. She didn't falter, didn't give up on him, even as he slowly became more beast than human. And right now, she let him grip her hand tightly, only bringing up her other to give him more to hold onto.

He felt much like a child in that moment, not knowing what to do or say or where to go from here. So much had happened, so much had changed, and yet through all of the years, Byleth had remained the same.

She was so, so warm. Warm, and _alive_ , and here with him still. In the rain, with her hair sticking to her face, she was the most beautiful he'd ever seen her.

The locks he'd put on his feelings concerning his previous professor were breaking along with everything else. His grip on her hands tightened, but she didn't even flinch.

"It's okay," she told him instead. "Cry all you need. I won't leave you."

And for once, he believed her.

* * *

"We're still the same," Byleth told him, a smile on her face. Over the years, she'd somehow become so much more expressive than he'd ever dreamed when they'd first met. Or maybe he'd just gotten used to her tells.

Dimitri smiled back, feeling lighter than he had in years. The weight of the dead was finally starting to break away, leaving him almost giddy. "That is true," he agreed, thinking back on the night not too long ago he'd held on to her for dear life, thinking that she alone was still the same. It was nice to know, in some way, that she echoed that sentiment. "To me, you will always be the one who guided me so kindly. My ally through all. My beloved," he said, trailing off. "Yes," he nodded, settling on the word. "My beloved."

With the chains around his heart finally broken, Dimitri was finally allowed the full extent of his feelings for Byleth to shine through. Part of him was nervous, almost comically so, but part of him knew the truth - even if she rejected him in this way, she wouldn't leave him. He knew that for certain, and it gave him a strength he wasn't expecting.

"Dimitri," Byleth spoke, almost as if she didn't mean to.

It was encouragement enough. "Listen, there is something I wish to give you before the coronation. Give me your hand," he said, grabbing hold of the jewelry he had been keeping hidden since right after the night in the rain. His heart hammered wildly in his chest, but he had been through enough to know how to keep himself steady.

The ring held a green gem in the center, a similar color to what her hair had become after she had obtained the Goddess' power. As soon as he'd seen it that day, he bought it, not even considering what his actions meant until after the purchase had already been made. Of course, there was the war to think about, so he had put all his worries and fears on the back burner. But now that everything was settled, he had nothing holding him back any longer.

When she didn't say anything, all of the anxieties he'd pushed away after buying the thing came to the surface, and suddenly, Dimitri found himself feeling much like a startled child. "Please, I beg of you. Say _something!_ " His voice raised a bit, embarrassingly, but he was long past caring when it came to Byleth. "If you do not wish to accept it, please just tell me. If so, I will face the truth and walk away."

The road to acceptance would be difficult, but he would never force her to be with him if that is not what she desired. Old fears begun to leap up at him - maybe he truly was too far gone for her, even now that he'd started to come back. Maybe she'd only helped him then because the war needed to be won, and Faerghus needed its people. Maybe-

"That's not it at all," Byleth shook her head, cutting off his growing worries. Instead, she pulled out something of her own, dropping it gently in his hands.

"What is this?" He asked, mostly to himself, staring down in wonder. It was a ring. A simpler thing than what he had bought, a flower shape made of purple gemstones sitting in its center.

Byleth laughed a little, taking the ring he had gotten for her out of his hand. "You beat me to it," she teased, her cheeks flushed.

It wasn't often that Dimitri was stunned into silence. Before he had allowed himself to become a beast, he had been trained to become the King of Faerghus. He was used to public speaking, used to finding the words to help sway people into action. His father, when he was little, had called him a natural born leader.

But staring at the ring that now rested firmly in his hands, Dimitri couldn't even begin to figure out what to say. All the fears that had begun swirling had suddenly vanished; as if they were a candle in the wind. Byleth… loved him. Wanted to be with him as he did her. Her help had not been conditional, had not been reliant on him accomplishing a goal for her or others.

Had not dissipated when he had lost himself to the darkness.

"Yes, I see," he finally was able to say, the giddiness he'd been holding back coming free. He smiled widely, nodding. "Right. In that case, let us exchange them, shall we?" He asked, as if she hadn't already accepted his.

Byleth laughed, and it was the most wonderful sound he'd ever heard. He'd once thought that she might hold every secret of the universe; now he knew it to be true. Byleth was, truly, to every question he could ever think to ask.

He took his glove off, discarding it carelessly on the ground. When he held her hand this time, he wanted to feel the warmth against his own skin, not just through his clothing. When he reached out for her, she met him halfway.

"Your hands," Dimitri mumbled to himself, taking them in as if this was the first time he'd ever seen them. "Now that I hold them within my own, I see how small and fragile they are." He flashed back to a memory that felt like a lifetime away of a Byleth that looked small and destroyed from the passing of her father. "These hands that have saved me countless times… Thank you, my beloved." The word rolled naturally off his tongue, and he knew there was no better way to describe this person that he held so dear. "Your kind, warm hands… may they cling to my own forevermore."

When Byleth brought his hand up to her lips, Dimitri finally, finally, allowed what little remained of the barriers in his heart to crumble down to rubble. Coming to Byleth always felt like coming home; this felt like he could at long last close his eyes and rest. He closed his eyes and leaned his head against her own, breathing her in as the sun set behind them.

_My beloved._

**Author's Note:**

> they're so soft, oh my god, i adore them lmao. as usual tho idk how to end a fanfic, what else is new  
> fingers crossed i can finish my other fic for them this week!! that would be nice lmao. see y'all then hopefully :D


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